Respect for individual life can coexist with different tolerances for mass military casualties. In this interpretation, memories of earlier wars help explain why societies judge those losses differently. Japan's experience of World War I is described as a success, unlike the trauma associated with the conflict in Britain, France and America. The same war can therefore leave contrasting national legacies. Individuals also interpret those experiences differently, so a national comparison does not establish a uniform attitude within each country. These differences complicate predictions that an adversary will reject an operation because its casualties would be unacceptable at home.
Notable Point · 2:30:00-2:31:40
World War I, cultural memory and tolerance for casualties
Contrasting experiences of World War I connect casualty tolerance with historical memory, while leaving room for individual differences.